Stress can be excruciating and can cause frustration, anger, anxiety, conflict, or pressure. People feel the anxiety before

a critical presentation in office or during exams. The present life style when we all strive for more and big, at any cost, adds to the stress. Most often, stress becomes a part of our lives and we learn to live with it.Since stress exhausts you out physically and psychologically, you should plan tomanage stress. A combination of proper medication, good diet, positive attitude and exercise can help you reduce stress from your everyday life. These help you control your lives even if you are facing some tragedy or a challenge.In physical terms, managing stress helps you balance your life, for your priorities, your goals and your duties in life. You need to balance your personal life with work, monetary considerations, physical life and relationships. Rather than taking life as a regular exercise of dealing with frustrations, pressure and conflict, think positively.Manage StressIf you are leading a stressful life, get required sleep at all costs. Generally, stressed people feel lack of energy andare not motivated. Getting enough sleep will help you feel fresh and be productive towards your work and responsibilities. It will help clear your mind of any baggage, enabling you objective analysis of situations.If you are introvert by nature, that is fine; however, leading an isolated life can add to your stress. To reduce stress, develop a basic level of social circle and support system for yourself. Share your thoughts with others and refrain from negative thoughts. It helps you in clear thinking and in taking decisions.Apart from change in your outlook towards life, take care of your physical self as well. Exercise regularly. It is said that – A healthy mind resides only in healthy body. Physical fitness helps you feel better and healthy.Have a regulated diet. People who are stressed may either eat too much, or do not eat at all. One, take required diet. Two, take nutritious diet that can keep you healthy. Proper meals, regularly help you to reduce stress. Do not have too much sugar, tea, coffee or chocolates. Have lots of fruits, salads and green vegetables for required nutrients to feel fresh and healthy.Pursue a hobby. If you like music, take time to listen to music for about 30 minutes. If you like outdoor sports, join a club, or a local community centre. Paint a picture or sing a song. Experts believe that if you spare some time for extra activities from your packed schedule, you feel rejuvenated and it relieves stress.Have good habits and refrain from falling prey to drugs or excessive use of alcohol. You may feel temporary respite, but these options are bad for your health for long term. Don’t shy away from your problems or conflicts and take refuge in alcohol or drugs. Learn to take challenge head on and deal with stress positively.How to Reduce StressHave positive outlook to your life. If your expectations from yourself are a cause of stress, then reassess your expectations. See if these are realistic. Evaluate the hurdles and look for the ways on how to handle those. Most probably, you will find that you are not able to maintain balance between work and family or personal life. You can reduce stress by redefining your priorities and working constantly and consciously towards achieving your goals.Many people who are unable to deal with stress have very poor time management skills. Prioritize your tasks and have some schedule for important tasks and meetings. Try to organize your routine such as you can note down important appointments or meetings on paper. You can maintain a checklist before moving out of your house so that you are not late for an urgent meeting or appointment.You may be stressed because you want to do most of the stuff by yourself. Trust people around you and see if your kids are grown up enough to deposit a bill, or do get your vehicle repaired from workshop. Delegating responsibilities can help youreduce stress on yourself. It also gives you more time that you can use for recreation or for a family outing.A good sense of humour is very important to reduce stress. A good hearted laughter is an excellent tonic to help you relieve stress. History is a witness that most well known artists who faced many hardships in their early life had very good sense of humour.Meditation and yoga are exceptional stress busters. Do some meditation to relax your mind. Try to have more self control in situations when you are expecting conflict. Develop the ability to listen and the temperament to disagree. Remember that ability to live with disagreement is very important in any relationship